What are the Best Days of the Week to Get Cheap Airfare?

What are the Best Days of the Week to Get Cheap Airfare?Pam2017-08-30T16:35:06-07:00

If you’re one of many and you’re looking for some advice on how to get cheap airfare, you’re in luck. We’ve done some research and found out which days of the week are best to get the cheapest airfare and which ones you should avoid. Saving money on airfare can be hard to do, but we’re here to give you the best chance at doing just that.

Best Days to get Cheap Airfare

Tuesday: For decades now, time-tested travelers have stuck to the “Tuesday Rule.” Many seasoned flyers claim that when you factor in holidays, peak times, etc., Tuesday tends to be the overall cheapest day to book a flight. And if you’re one of those people that believes in wives’ tales or even a little superstitious, Tuesday’s the day you want. Recent statistics however may add some fault to the cult-favorite Tuesday.

Wednesday: TIME teamed up with an airfare forecasting company to determine that Wednesday is the best day for cheap airfare. TIME states that the company found that “the Tuesday effect is only active at exactly midnight – and only applies to just 1.6% of domestic U.S. flights.” So even though many people claim to get the best deals on a Tuesday, there is only a small window in which to get sales until Wednesday morning and only a small percentage of people actually purchase their tickets on Tuesdays.

Thursday: The data found this forecasting company found that Thursday was the day of the week in which most domestic and international flight costs dropped. It was found that more routes around the globe feature their lowest prices on Thursdays, more so than any other day of the week. Many experts in the industry are calling Thursday the “new Tuesday.”

So if you’re not superstitious and can avoid feeding into the cult-favorite, Thursday should be the day you shoot for; with Wednesday coming in at a close second.

Days/Times to Avoid

Friday and Sunday: Both of these days you’ll want to avoid if you want to get cheap airfare. The rule of thumb when it comes to flying cheap is to fly when most people don’t want to. On Fridays and Sundays, more people are traveling than any other day of the week. And because of simple supply and demand policies, airlines will charge more for these days because more people will need to buy the tickets. Business-related flights are more common on the weekend days, as people are flying to/from work or home.

There are also times of the day you can try to avoid to get cheaper airfare. If you remember the rule of thumb and try to fly when no one else wants to, tickets at dawn, overnight flights, and dinner-hour flights will always be cheaper than peak-times during the day. Early in the morning and late at night, less people are flying. Because of that, these flights will more than likely be cheaper.

When it comes to finding cheap airfare, it sure can be daunting. There are so many factors to take into consideration and it’s not surprising that the day you fly is one of them. With our helpful information on how to get cheap airfare, you’ll become a flying expert in no time.